Tuesday 19th February 2013

Today was Trent’s birthday – so happy birthday Trent ! Justin made him an excellent cake decorated with a light switch, out of service tag and wires all over it. (Trent is an electrician). John, Pete L, Justin and Lloyd went up on the plateau this morning to do field training for two days. Today I got quite a few things sorted out with our computer network. Later I went out to east arm antenna farm and did some maintenance to the antennas out there. It was minus six and blowing about twenty knots and I had to take my gloves off to tape up some cables. After a while my fingers became excruciatingly painful and I had to warm them up and get my gloves back on. It’s so hard to work in gloves and in the cold tape no longer sticks and it’s so hard to do just simple tasks. I eventually did a good job, but it took about three times as long as it normally would.

In the afternoon I assembled two beacon antennas and brackets and took them up to the cosmic ray hut ready to install them on the mast there when the wind drops. I have to make the most of any fine weather as there is another blizzard forecasted for Thursday. As Justin is away on field training Keldyn was the chef today and did a fine job of it. Smoko was toasties, lunch was soup and patties and dinner was roast chicken. Well done mate!! After dinner Cookie took a few of the blokes for a ride in the green Hag up onto the plateau for an hour to take some photos.

My friend the elephant seal disappeared today but later on we found him lying in the wood pile down at Warren the incinerator and latter across the door so no one could get in. 

At about 9pm Chris and I attached both beacon antennas to the cosmic ray antenna mast. It was so cold and our fingers were extremely painful suffering frost nip but after about an hour and a half we finally got the job done and we came back to the red shed for a beer and to warm up.

Trent had a very late bender.

Trent at the Catabatic bar

The Catabatic bar

The Catabatic bar

Recreation area

Recreation area